Wheat variety 26R58

ABSTRACT

A wheat variety designated 26R58, the plants and seeds of wheat variety 26R58, methods for producing a wheat plant produced by crossing the variety 26R58 with another wheat plant, and hybrid wheat seeds and plants produced by crossing the variety 26R58 with another wheat line or plant, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of variety 26R58. This invention also relates to methods for producing other wheat varieties or breeding lines derived from wheat variety 26R58 and to wheat varieties or breeding lines produced by those methods.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention is in the field of wheat (Triticumn aestivum L.)breeding, specifically relating to a wheat variety designated 26R58.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Wheat is grown worldwide and is the most widely adapted cereal. Thereare five main wheat market classes. They include the four common wheat(Triticum aestivum L.) classes: hard red winter, hard red spring, softred winter, and white. The fifth class is durum (Triticum turgidum L.).Common wheats are used in a variety of food products such as bread,cookies, cakes, crackers, and noodles. In general the hard wheat classesare milled into flour used for breads and the soft wheat classes aremilled into flour used for pastries and crackers. Wheat starch is usedin the food and paper industries, as laundry starches, and in otherproducts. Because of its use in baking, the grain quality of wheat isvery important. To test the grain quality of wheat for use as flour,milling properties are analyzed. Important milling properties arerelative hardness or softness, weight per bushel of wheat (test weight),siftability of the flour, break flour yield, middlings flour yield,total flour yield, flour ash content, and wheat-to-flour proteinconversion. Good processing quality for flour is also important. Goodquality characteristics for flour from soft wheats include low tomedium-low protein content, a low water absorption, production oflarge-diameter test cookies and large volume cakes. Wheat glutenins andgliadins, which together confer the properties of elasticity andextensibility, play an important role in the grain quality. Changes inquality and quantity of these proteins change the end product for whichthe wheat can be used.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive wheat variety,designated 26R58 which has been the result of years of careful breedingand selection as part of a wheat breeding program. There are numeroussteps in the development of any novel, desirable plant germplasm. Plantbreeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems andweaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals,and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step isselection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the programgoals. The goal is to combine in a single variety an improvedcombination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. Theseimportant traits may include higher seed yield, resistance to diseasesand insects, tolerance to drought and heat, improved grain quality, andbetter agronomic qualities.

Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of theplant's method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinated if pollen fromone flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the sameplant. A plant is sib-pollinated when individuals within the same familyor line are used for pollination. A plant is cross-pollinated if thepollen comes from a flower on a different plant from a different familyor line. The term cross-pollination herein does not includeself-pollination or sib-pollination. Wheat plants (Triticum aestivumL.), are recognized to be naturally self-pollinated plants which, whilecapable of undergoing cross-pollination, rarely do so in nature. Thusintervention for control of pollination is critical to the establishmentof superior varieties.

A cross between two different homozygous lines produces a uniformpopulation of hybrid plants that may be heterozygous for many gene loci.A cross of two heterozygous plants each that differ at a number of geneloci will produce a population of plants that differ genetically andwill not be uniform. Regardless of parentage, plants that have beenself-pollinated and selected for type for many generations becomehomozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population oftrue breeding progeny. The term “homozygous plant” is hereby defined asa plant with homozygous genes at 95% or more of its loci. The term“inbred” as used herein refers to a homozygous plant or a collection ofhomozygous plants.

Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plantreproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and thetype of variety used commercially (e.g., F1 hybrid variety, purelinevariety, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superiorindividual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective,whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based onmean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of relatedplants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection,modified pedigree selection, mass selection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.In general breeding starts with the crossing of two genotypes, each ofwhich may have one or more desirable characteristics that is lacking inthe other or which complements the other. A breeding cross is defined asa cross between two different lines. If the two original parents do notprovide all the desired characteristics, other sources can be includedby making more crosses. In each successive filial generation, F1→F2;F2→F3; F3→F4; F4→F5, etc., plants are selfed to increase thehomozygosity of the line. Typically in a breeding program five or moregenerations of selection and selfing are practiced to obtain ahomozygous plant.

Pedigree breeding is commonly used for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops. Two parents that possess favorable,complementary traits are crossed to produce an F1. An F2 population isproduced by selfing one or several F1's. Selection of the bestindividuals may begin in the F2 population; then, beginning in the F3,the best individuals in the best families are selected. Replicatedtesting of families can begin in the F4 generation to improve theeffectiveness of selection for traits with low heritability. At anadvanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F6 and F7), the best lines ormixtures of phenotypically similar lines are tested for potentialrelease as new varieties.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for simply inheritedqualitative, traits from a donor parent into a desirable homozygousvariety that is utilized as the recurrent parent. The source of thetraits to be transferred is called the donor parent. After the initialcross, individuals possessing the desired trait or traits of the donorparent are selected and then repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to therecurrent parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributesof the recurrent parent (e.g., variety) plus the desirable trait ortraits transferred from the donor parent. This approach has been usedextensively for breeding disease resistant varieties.

Each wheat breeding program should include a periodic, objectiveevaluation of the efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluationcriteria vary depending on the goal and objectives, but should includegain from selection per year based on comparisons to an appropriatestandard, overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number ofsuccessful varieties produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, perdollar expended, etc.).

Various recurrent selection techniques are used to improvequantitatively inherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use ofrecurrent selection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease ofpollination and the number of hybrid offspring from each successfulcross. Recurrent selection can be used to improve populations of eitherself- or cross-pollinated crops. A genetically variable population ofheterozygous individuals is either identified or created byintercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued. Plantsfrom the populations can be selected and selfed to create new varieties.

Another breeding method is single-seed descent. This procedure in thestrict sense refers to planting a segregating population, harvesting asample of one seed per plant, and using the one-seed sample to plant thenext generation. When the population has been advanced from the F2 tothe desired level of inbreeding, the plants from which lines are derivedwill each trace to different F2 individuals. The number of plants in apopulation declines each generation due to failure of some seeds togerminate or some plants to produce at least one seed. As a result, notall of the F2 plants originally sampled in the population will berepresented by a progeny when generation advance is completed. In amultipleseed procedure, wheat breeders commonly harvest one or morespikes (heads) from each plant in a population and thresh them togetherto form a bulk. Part of the bulk is used to plant the next generationand part is put in reserve. The procedure has been referred to asmodified single-seed descent. The multiple-seed procedure has been usedto save labor at harvest. It is considerably faster to thresh spikeswith a machine than to remove one seed from each by hand for thesingle-seed procedure. The multiple-seed procedure also makes itpossible to plant the same number of seeds of a population eachgeneration of inbreeding. Enough seeds are harvested to make up forthose plants that did not germinate or produce seed.

Bulk breeding can also be used. In the bulk breeding method an F2population is grown. The seed from the populations is harvested in bulkand a sample of the seed is used to make a planting the next season.This cycle can be repeated several times. In general when individualplants are expected to have a high degree of homozygosity, individualplants are selected, tested, and increased for possible use as avariety.

Molecular markers including techniques such as Starch GelElectrophoresis, Isozyme Eletrophoresis, Restriction Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs),Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats(SSRs), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) may be used in plantbreeding methods. One use of molecular markers is Quantitative TraitLoci (QTL) mapping. QTL mapping is the use of markers, which are knownto be closely linked to alleles that have measurable effects on aquantitative trait. Selection in the breeding process is based upon theaccumulation of markers linked to the positive effecting alleles and/orthe elimination of the markers linked to the negative effecting allelesfrom the plant's genome.

Molecular markers can also be used during the breeding process for theselection of qualitative traits. For example, markers closely linked toalleles or markers containing sequences within the actual alleles ofinterest can be used to select plants that contain the alleles ofinterest during a backcrossing breeding program. The markers can also beused to select for the genome of the recurrent parent and against themarkers of the donor parent. Using this procedure can minimize theamount of genome from the donor parent that remains in the selectedplants. It can also be used to reduce the number of crosses back to therecurrent parent needed in a backcrossing program (Openshaw et al.Marker-assisted Selection in Backcross Breeding. In: ProceedingsSymposium of the Analysis of Molecular Marker Data, 5-6 August 1994, pp.41-43. Crop Science Society of America, Corvallis, Oreg.). The use ofmolecular markers in the selection process is often called GeneticMarker Enhanced Selection.

The production of double haploids can also be used for the developmentof homozygous lines in the breeding program. Double haploids areproduced by the doubling of a set of chromosomes (1 N) from aheterozygous plant to produce a completely homozygous individual. Thiscan be advantageous because the process omits the generations of selfingneeded to obtain a homogygous plant from a heterozygous source. Variousmethodologies of making double haploid plants in wheat have beendeveloped (Laurie, D. A. and S. Reymondie, Plant Breeding, 1991, v.106:182-189. Singh, N. et al., Cereal Research Communications, 2001, v.29:289-296; Redha, A. et al., Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 2000,v. 63:167-172; U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,393)

Though pure-line varieties are the predominate form of wheat grown forcommercial wheat production hybrid wheat is also used. Hybrid wheats areproduced with the help of cytoplasmic male sterility, nuclear geneticmale sterility, or chemicals. Various combinations of these three malesterility systems have been used in the production of hybrid wheat.

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in one of several referencebooks (e.g., Allard, Principles of Plant Breeding, 1960; Simmonds,Principles of Crop Improvement, 1979; editor Heyne, Wheat and WheatImprovement, 1987; Allan, “Wheat”, Chapter 18, Principles of CropDevelopment, vol. 2, Fehr editor, 1987).

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s). The best lines are candidates for new commercialvarieties; those still deficient in a few traits may be used as parentsto produce new populations for further selection.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior genotype is to observe itsperformance relative to other experimental genotypes and to a widelygrown standard variety. Generally a single observation is inconclusive,so replicated observations are required to provide a better estimate ofits genetic worth.

A breeder uses various methods to help determine which plants should beselected from the segregating populations and ultimately which lineswill be used for commercialization. In addition to the knowledge of thegermplasm and other skills the breeder uses, a part of the selectionprocess is dependent on experimental design coupled with the use ofstatistical analysis. Experimental design and statistical analysis areused to help determine which plants, which family of plants, and finallywhich lines are significantly better or different for one or more traitsof interest. Experimental design methods are used to control error sothat differences between two lines can be more accurately determined.Statistical analysis includes the calculation of mean values,determination of the statistical significance of the sources ofvariation, and the calculation of the appropriate variance components.Five and one percent significance levels are customarily used todetermine whether a difference that occurs for a given trait is real ordue to the environment or experimental error.

Plant breeding is the genetic manipulation of plants. The goal of wheatbreeding is to develop new, unique and superior wheat varieties. Inpractical application of a wheat breeding program, the breeder initiallyselects and crosses two or more parental lines, followed by repeatedselfing and selection, producing many new genetic combinations. Thebreeder can theoretically generate billions of different geneticcombinations via crossing, selfing and mutations. The breeder has nodirect control at the cellular level. Therefore, two breeders will neverdevelop the same line.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climatic and soil conditions, and further selections arethen made during and at the end of the growing season.

Proper testing should detect major faults and establish the level ofsuperiority or improvement over current varieties. In addition toshowing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new variety.The new variety must be compatible with industry standards, or mustcreate a new market. The introduction of a new variety may incuradditional costs to the seed producer, the grower, processor andconsumer, for special advertising and marketing, altered seed andcommercial production practices, and new product utilization. Thetesting preceding release of a new variety should take intoconsideration research and development costs as well as technicalsuperiority of the final variety. It must also be feasible to produceseed easily and economically.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, can take from six to twelve years from the time the firstcross is made. Therefore, development of new varieties is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), is an important and valuable field crop.Thus, a continuing goal of wheat breeders is to develop stable, highyielding wheat varieties that are agronomically sound and have goodgrain quality for its intended use. To accomplish this goal, the wheatbreeder must select and develop wheat plants that have the traits thatresult in superior varieties.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel wheat variety,designated 26R58. This invention thus relates to the seeds of wheatvariety 26R58, to the plants of wheat variety 26R58 and to methods forproducing a wheat plant produced by crossing wheat variety 26R58 withanother wheat plant, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis ortransformation of wheat 26R58. This invention relates to a backcrossconversion of wheat variety 26R58. This invention also relates tomethods for developing other wheat varieties or breeding lines derivedfrom wheat variety 26R58 and to wheat varieties or breeding linesproduced by those methods. Wheat variety 26R58 demonstrates a uniquecombination of traits including excellent yield potential, good leafrust and powdery mildew resistance, very good resistance to soilborneviruses, and excellent lodging resistance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

A wheat variety needs to be highly homogeneous, homozygous andreproducible to be useful as a commercial variety. There are manyanalytical methods available to determine the homozygotic stability,phenotypic stability, and identity of these varieties.

The oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation ofphenotypic traits. The data is usually collected in field experimentsover the life of the wheat plants to be examined. Phenotypiccharacteristics most often observed are for traits such as seed yield,head configuration, glume configuration, seed configuration, lodgingresistance, disease resistance, maturity, etc.

In addition to phenotypic observations, the genotype of a plant can alsobe examined. There are many laboratory-based techniques available forthe analysis, comparison and characterization of plant genotype; amongthese are Gel Electrophoresis, Isozyme Electrophoresis, RestrictionFragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified PolymorphicDNAs (RAPDs), Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), SimpleSequence Repeats (SSRs) which are also referred to as Microsatellites,and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Gel electrophoresis isparticularly useful in wheat. Wheat variety identification is possiblethrough electrophoresis of gliadin, glutenin, alburmin and globulin, andtotal protein extracts (Bietz, J. A., pp. 216-228, “Genetic andBiochemical Studies of Nonenzymatic Endosperm Proteins” In Wheat andWheat Improvement, ed. E. G. Heyne,1987).

The variety of the invention has shown uniformity and stability for alltraits, as described in the following variety description information.It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations, withcareful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensure homozygosity andphenotypic stability. The line has been increased with continuedobservation for uniformity. No variant traits have been observed or areexpected in 26R58, as described in Table 1 (Variety DescriptionInformation).

Wheat variety 26R58 is a common, soft red winter wheat variety. Wheatvariety 26R58 demonstrates excellent yield potential, good leaf rust andpowdery mildew resistance, very good resistance to soilborne viruses,and excellent lodging resistance. Variety 26R58 is particularly adaptedto the Northern and Mid-south areas.

Wheat variety 26R58, being substantially homozygous, can be reproducedby planting seeds of the line, growing the resulting wheat plants underself-pollinating or sib-pollinating conditions, and harvesting theresulting seed, using techniques familiar to the agricultural arts.

Definitions for Area of Adaptability

When referring to area of adaptability, such term is used to describethe location with the environmental conditions that would be well suitedfor this wheat variety. Area of adaptability is based on a number offactors, for example: days to heading, winter hardiness, insectresistance, disease resistance, and drought resistance. Area ofadaptability does not indicate that the wheat variety will grow in everylocation within the area of adaptability or that it will not growoutside the area. Northern area=States of DE, IL, IN, MI, MO, NJ, NY,OH, PA, WI and Ontario, Canada

Mid-south=States of AR, KY, MO bootheel and TN

Southeast=States of NC, SC, and VA

Deep South=States of AL, GA, LA, and MS

TABLE 1 VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION 26R58 1. KIND: 1 1 = Common 2 =Durum 3 = Club 4 = Other 2. VERNALIZATION: 2 1 = Spring 2 = Winter  3 =Other 3. COLEOPTILE ANTHOCYANIN: 2 1 = Absent 2 = Present 4. JUVENILEPLANT GROWTH: 2 1 = Prostrate 2 = Semi-erect 3 = Erect 5. PLANT COLOR(boot stage): 2 1 = Yellow-Green 2 = Green 3 = Blue-Green 6. FLAG LEAF(boot stage): 1 1 = Erect 2 = Recurved 7. FLAG LEAF (boot stage): 2 1 =Not Twisted 2 = Twisted 8. EAR EMERGENCE: 0.3 = Number of Days Laterthan 25R57 9. ANTHER COLOR: 1 1 = Yellow 2 = Purple 10. PLANT HEIGHT(from soil to top of head, excluding awns):    cm Taller than     3 cmShorter than 25R57 11. STEM: A. ANTHOCYANIN: 1 1 = Absent 2 = Present B.WAXY BLOOM: 1 1 = Absent 2 = Present C. HAIRINESS (last internode ofrachis): 2 1 = Absent  2 = Present D. INTERNODE: 1 1 = Hollow 2 =Semi-solid 3 = Solid E. PEDUNCLE 2 1 = Absent  2 = Present 31 cm Length12. HEAD (at maturity) A. DENSITY: 2 1 = Lax 2 = Middense  3 = Dense B.SHAPE: 2 1 = Tapering 2 = Strap 3 = Clavate  4 = Other C. CURVATURE: 3 1= Erect 2 = Inclined  3 = Recurved D. AWNEDNESS: 4 1 = Awnless 2 =Apically Awnletted 3 = Awnletted 4 = Awned 13. GLUMES (at Maturity): A.COLOR: 2 1 = White 2 = Tan 3 = Other B. SHOULDER: 1 1 = Wanting 2 =Oblique 3 = Rounded  4 = Square 5 = Elevated 6 = Apiculate C. BEAK: 3 1= Obtuse 2 = Acute 3 = Acuminate D. LENGTH: 2 1 = Short (ca. 7 mm) 2 =Medium (ca. 8 mm) 3 = Long (ca. 9 mm) E. WIDTH: 2 1 = Narrow (ca. 3mm) 2 = Medium (ca. 3.5 mm) 3 = Wide (ca. 4 mm) 14. SEED: A. SHAPE: 1 1= Ovate 2 = Oval 3 = Elliptical B. CHEEK: 1 1 = Rounded 2 = Angular C.BRUSH: 1 1 = Short 2 = Medium 3 = Long BRUSH: 1 1 = Not Collared 2 =Collared D. CREASE: 1 1 = Width 60% or less of Kernel 2 = Width 80% orless of Kernel 3 = Width Nearly as Wide as Kernel CREASE: 3 1 = Depth20% or less of Kernel 2 = Depth 35% or less of Kernel 3 = Depth 50% orless of Kernel E. COLOR: 3 1 = White 2 = Amber 3 = Red  4 = Other F.TEXTURE: 2 1 = Hard 2 = Soft G. PHENOL REACTION: 4 1 = Ivory 2 = Fawn 3= Light Brown  4 = Dark Brown 5 = Black 15. DISEASE: (0 = Not tested 1 =Susceptible 2 = Resistant 3 = Intermediate  4 = Tolerant) SPECIFIC RACEOR STRAIN TESTED Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici): 0 StripeRust (Puccinia striiformis): 0 Tan Spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis):3 Field races Halo Spot (Selenophoma donacis): 0 Septoria nodorum (GlumeBlotch): 3 Field races Septoria avenae (Speckled Leaf Disease): 0Septoria tritici (Speckled Leaf Blotch): 3 Field races Scab (Fusariumspp.): 1 Leaf Rust (Puccinia recondite f. sp. tritici): 3 Field racesLoose Smut (Ustilago tritici): 0 Flag Smut (Urocystis agropyri): 0Common Bunt (Tilletia tritici or T. laevis): 0 Dwarf Bunt (Tilletiacontroversa): 0 Karnal Bunt (Tilletia indica): 0 Powdery Mildew(erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici): 0 Field races “Snow Molds”: 0 “BlackPoint” (Kernel Smudge): 0 Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV): 0 SoilborneMosaic Virus (SBMV): 4 Field races Wheat Yellow (Spindle Streak) MosaicVirus 4 Field races Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV): 0 Common Root Rot(Fusarium, Cochliobolus, and Bipolaris spp.): 0 Rhizoctonia Root Rot(Rhizoctonia solani): 0 Black Chaff (Xanthomonas campestris pv.translucens): 0 Bacterial Leaf Blight (pseudomonas syringae pv.syringae): 0 16. INSECT: (0 = Not tested 1 = Susceptible 2 = Resistant 3= Intermediate 4 = Tolerant Hessian Fly (Mayetiola destructor): 1Biotypes E & L Stem Sawfly (Cephus spp.): 0 Cereal Leaf Beetle (Oulemamelanopa): 0 Russian Aphid (Diuraphis noxia): 0 Greenbug (schizaphisgraminum): 0 Aphids: 0 For more information on descriptive factors see“Objective Description of Variety Wheat (Triticum supp.)” which is apart of “Application for Plant Variety Protection Certificat”distributed by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural MarketingService, Science and Technology, Plant Variety Protection Office,Beltsville MD 20705. All colors are defined using Munsell Color Chartsfor Plant Tissues.

Further Embodiments of the Invention

Further reproduction of the wheat variety 26R58 can occur by tissueculture and regeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of wheat andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. Areview of various wheat tissue culture protocols can be found in “InVitro Culture of Wheat and Genetic Transformation-Retrospect andProspect” by Maheshwari et al. (Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences,14(2): pp149-178, 1995). Thus, another aspect of this invention is toprovide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce wheat plantscapable of having the physiological and morphological characteristics ofwheat variety 26R58.

As used herein, the term plant parts includes plant protoplasts, plantcell tissue cultures from which wheat plants can be regenerated, plantcalli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or partsof plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, seed, flowers, florets,heads, spikes, leaves, roots, root tips, anthers, and the like.

The advent of new molecular biological techniques has allowed theisolation and characterization of genetic elements with specificfunctions, such as encoding specific protein products. Scientists in thefield of plant biology developed a strong interest in engineering thegenome of plants to contain and express foreign genetic elements, oradditional, or modified versions of native or endogenous geneticelements in order to alter the traits of a plant in a specific manner.Any DNA sequences, whether from a different species or from the samespecies, that are inserted into the genome using transformation arereferred to herein collectively as “transgenes”. Over the last fifteento twenty years several methods for producing transgenic plants havebeen developed, and the present invention, in particular embodiments,also relates to transformed versions of the wheat variety 26R58.

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical, plant transformation protocols. See, forexample, Miki et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA intoPlants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick,B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, 1993) pages67-88. In addition, expression vectors and in vitro culture methods forplant cell or tissue transformation and regeneration of plants areavailable. See, for example, Gruber et al., “Vectors for PlantTransformation” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology,Glick, B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton,1993) pages 89-119.

The most prevalent types of plant transformation involve theconstruction of an expression vector. Such a vector comprises a DNAsequence that contains a gene under the control of or operatively linkedto a regulatory element, for example a promoter. The vector may containone or more genes and one or more regulatory elements.

Various genetic elements can be introduced into the plant genome usingtransformation. These elements include but are not limited to genes;coding sequences; inducible, constitutive, and tissue specificpromoters; enhancing sequences; and signal and targeting sequences.

A genetic trait which has been engineered into a particular wheat plantusing transformation techniques, could be moved into another line usingtraditional breeding techniques that are well known in the plantbreeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be used tomove a transgene from a transformed wheat plant to an elite wheatvariety and the resulting progeny would comprise a transgene. As usedherein, “crossing” can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or the process ofbackcrossing, depending on the context. The term “cross” excludes theprocesses of selfing or sibbing.

With transgenic plants according to the present invention, a foreignprotein can be produced in commercial quantities. Thus, techniques forthe selection and propagation of transformed plants, which are wellunderstood in the art, yield a plurality of transgenic plants which areharvested in a conventional manner, and a foreign protein then can beextracted from a tissue of interest or from total biomass. Proteinextraction from plant biomass can be accomplished by known methods whichare discussed, for example, by Heney and Orr, Anal. Biochem. 114: 92-6(1981).

According to a preferred embodiment, the transgenic plant provided forcommercial production of foreign protein is a wheat plant. In anotherpreferred embodiment, the biomass of interest is seed. A genetic map canbe generated, primarily via conventional RFLP, PCR, and SSR analysis,which identifies the approximate chromosomal location of the integratedDNA molecule. For exemplary methodologies in this regard, see Glick andThompson, METHODS IN PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 269-284(CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1993). Map information concerning chromosomallocation is useful for proprietary protection of a subject transgenicplant. If unauthorized propagation is undertaken and crosses made withother germplasm, the map of the integration region can be compared tosimilar maps for suspect plants, to determine if the latter have acommon parentage with the subject plant. Map comparisons would involvehybridizations, RFLP, PCR, SSR and sequencing, all of which areconventional techniques.

Likewise, by means of the present invention, agronomic genes can beexpressed in transformed plants. More particularly, plants can begenetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomicinterest. Through the transformation of wheat the expression of genescan be modulated to enhance disease resistance, insect resistance,herbicide resistance, agronomic traits as well as grain quality traits.Transformation can also be used to insert DNA sequences which control orhelp control male-sterility. DNA sequences native to wheat as well asnon-native DNA sequences can be transformed into wheat and used tomodulate levels of native or non-native proteins. Anti-sense technology,various promoters, targeting sequences, enhancing sequences, and otherDNA sequences can be inserted into the wheat genome for the purpose ofmodulating the expression of proteins. Exemplary genes implicated inthis regard include, but are not limited to, those categorized below.

1. Genes that Confer Resistance to Pests or Disease and that Encode:

(A) Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often activatedby specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene(R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr)gene in the pathogen. A plant variety can be transformed with a clonedresistance gene to engineer plants that are resistant to specificpathogen strains. See, for example Jones et al., Science 266: 789 (1994)(cloning of the tomato Cf-9 gene for resistance to Cladosporium fulvum);Martin et al., Science 262: 1432 (1993) (tomato Pto gene for resistanceto Pseudomonas synngae pv. tomato encodes a protein kinase); Mindrinoset al., Cell 78: 1089 (1994) (Arabidopsis RSP2 gene for resistance toPseudomonas syringae).

Fusarium head blight along with deoxynivalenol both produced by thepathogen Fusarium graminearum Schwabe have caused devastating losses inwheat production. Genes expressing proteins with antifungal action canbe used as transgenes to prevent Fusarium head blight. Various classesof proteins have been identified. Examples include endochitinases,exochitinases, glucanases, thionins, thaumatin-like proteins, osmotins,ribosome inactivating proteins, flavoniods, lactoferricin. Duringinfection with Fusarium graminearum deoxynivalenol is produced. There isevidence that production of deoxynivalenol increases the virulence ofthe disease. Genes with properties for detoxificaton of deoxynivalenol(Adam and Lemmens, In International Congress on Molecular Plant-MicrobeInteractions, 1996; McCormick et al. Appl. Environ. Micro. 65:5252-5256,1999) have been engineered for use in wheat. A synthetic peptide thatcompetes with deoxynivalenol has been identified (Yuan et al., Appl.Environ. Micro. 65:3279-3286, 1999). Changing the ribosomes of the hostso that they have reduced affinity for deoxynivalenol has also been usedto reduce the virulence of the Fusarium graminearum.

Genes used to help reduce Fusarium Head Blight include but are notlimited to Tri101(Fusarium), PDR5 (yeast), tip-1(oat), tip-2(oat), leaftip-1 (wheat), tip (rice), tip-4 (oat), endochitinase, exochitinase,glucanase (Fusarium), permatin (oat), seed hordothionin (barley),alpha-thionin (wheat), acid glucanase (alfalfa), chitinase (barley andrice), class beta II-1,3-glucanase (barley), PR5/tip (arabidopsis),zearatin (maize), type 1 RIP (barley), NPR1 (arabidopsis), lactoferrin(mammal), oxalyl-CoA-decarboxylase (bacterium), IAP(baculovinus), ced-9(C. elegans), and glucanase (rice and barley).

(B) A gene conferring resistance to a pest, such as Hessian fly, wheat,stem soft fly, cereal leaf beetle, and/or green bug. For example the H9,H10, and H21 genes.

(C) A gene conferring resistance to disease, including wheat rusts,septoria tritici, septoria nodorum, powdery mildew, helminthosporiumdiseases, smuts, bunts, fusarium diseases, bacterial diseases, and viraldiseases.

(D) A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or asynthetic polypeptide modeled thereon. See, for example, Geiser et al.,Gene 48: 109 (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide sequence ofa Bt deltaendotoxin gene. Moreover, DNA molecules encodingdelta-endotoxin genes can be purchased from American Type CultureCollection (Manassas, Va.), for example, under ATCC Accession Nos.40098, 67136, 31995 and 31998.

(E) A lectin. See, for example, the disclosure by Van Damme et al.,Plant Molec. Biol. 24: 25 (1994), who disclose the nucleotide sequencesof several Clivia miniata man nose-binding lectin genes.

(F) A vitamin-binding protein such as avidin. See PCT applicationUS93/06487, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by referencefor this purpose. The application teaches the use of avidin and avidinhomologues as larvicides against insect pests.

(G) An enzyme inhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase inhibitoror an amylase inhibitor. See, for example, Abe et al., J. Biol. Chem.262: 16793 (1987) (nucleotide sequence of rice cysteine proteinaseinhibitor), Huub et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 21: 985 (1993) (nucleotidesequence of cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor I), Sumitani etal., Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 57: 1243 (1993) (nucleotide sequence ofStreptomyces nitrosporeus alpha-amylase inhibitor) and U.S. Pat. No.5,494,813 (Hepher and Atkinson, issued Feb. 27, 1996).

(H) An insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid andjuvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or anantagonist or: agonist thereof. See, for example, the disclosure byHammock et al., Nature 344: 458 (1990), of baculovirus expression ofcloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile hormone.

(I) An insect-specific peptide or neuropeptide which, upon expression,disrupts the physiology of the affected pest. For example, see thedisclosures of Regan, J. Biol. Chem. 269: 9 (1994) (expression cloningyields DNA coding for insect diuretic hormone receptor), and Pratt etal., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm.163: 1243 (1989) (an allostatin isidentified in Diploptera puntata). See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,317 toTomalski et al, who disclose genes encoding insect-specific, paralyticneurotoxins.

(J) An insect-specific venom produced in nature by a snake, a wasp, etc.For example, see Pang et al., Gene 116: 165 (1992), for disclosure ofheterologous expression in plants of a gene coding for a scorpioninsectotoxic peptide.

(K) An enzyme responsible for an hyperaccumulation of a monterpene, asesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivativeor another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity.

(L) An enzyme involved in the modification, including thepost-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule; forexample, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme,a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, aphosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, achitinase and a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic. See PCTapplication WO 93/02197 in the name of Scott et al., which discloses thenucleotide sequence of a callase gene. DNA molecules which containchitinase-encoding sequences can be obtained, for example, from the ATCCunder Accession Nos. 39637 and 67152. See also Kramer et al., InsectBiochem. Molec. Biol.23: 691 (1993), who teach the nucleotide sequenceof a cDNA encoding tobacco hookworm chitinase, and Kawalleck et al.,Plant Molec. Biol. 21: 673 (1993), who provide the nucleotide sequenceof the parsley ubi4-2 polyubiquitin gene.

(M) A molecule that stimulates signal transduction. For example, see thedisclosure by Botella et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 24: 757 (1994), ofnucleotide sequences for mung bean calmodulin cDNA clones, and Griess etal., Plant Physiol.104: 1467 (1994), who provide the nucleotide sequenceof a maize calmodulin cDNA clone.

(N) A hydrophobic moment peptide. See PCT application WO95/16776(disclosure of peptide derivatives of Tachyplesin which inhibit fungalplant pathogens) and PCT application WO95/18855 (teaches syntheticantimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance), the respectivecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for this purpose.

(O) A membrane permease, a channel former or a channel blocker. Forexample, see the disclosure by Jaynes et al., Plant Sci. 89: 43 (1993),of heterologous expression of a cecropin-beta lytic peptide analog torender transgenic tobacco plants resistant to Pseudomonas solanacearum.

(P) A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. Forexample, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plantcells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease developmenteffected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, aswell as by related viruses. See Beachy et al., Ann. Rev. Phytopathol.28: 451 (1990). Coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upontransformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus,tobacco streak virus, potato virus X, potato virus Y, tobacco etchvirus, tobacco rattle virus and tobacco mosaic virus. Id.

(Q) An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom.Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in theinsect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect. Cf.Taylor et al., Abstract #497, SEVENTH INT'L SYMPOSIUM ON MOLECULARPLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1994) (enzymaticinactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of single-chainantibody fragments).

(R) A virus-specific antibody. See, for example, Tavladoraki et al.,Nature 366: 469 (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressingrecombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack.

(S) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogenor a parasite. Thus, fungal endo alpha-1,4-D-polygalacturonasesfacilitate fungal colonization and plant nutrient release bysolubilizing plant cell wall homo-alpha-1,4-D-galacturonase. See Lamb etal., Bio/Technology 10: 1436 (1992). The cloning and characterization ofa gene which encodes a bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein isdescribed by Toubart et al., Plant J. 2: 367 (1992).

(T) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant. Forexample, Logemann et al., Bio/Technology 10: 305 (1992), have shown thattransgenic plants expressing the barley ribosome-inactivating gene havean increased resistance to fungal disease.

2. Genes that Confer Resistance to A Herbicide, for Example:

(A) Acetohydroxy acid synthase, which has been found to make plants thatexpress this enzyme resistant to multiple types of herbicides, has beenintroduced into a variety of plants (see, e.g., Hattori et al. (1995)Mol Gen Genet 246:419). Other genes that confer tolerance to herbicidesinclude: a gene encoding a chimeric protein of rat cytochrome P4507A1and yeast NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (Shiota et al. (1994)Plant PhysiolPlant Physiol 106:17), genes for glutathione reductase andsuperoxide dismutase (Aono et al. (1995) Plant Cell Physiol 36:1687, andgenes for various phosphotransferases (Datta et al. (1992) Plant MolBiol 20:619).

(B) A herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as animidazalinone or a sulfonylurea. Exemplary genes in this category codefor mutant ALS and AHAS enzyme as described, for example, by Lee et al.,EMBO J. 7: 1241 (1988), and Miki et al., Theor. Appl.Genet. 80: 449(1990), respectively. See also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,011; 5,013,659;5,141,870; 5,767,361; 5,731,180; 5,304,732; 4,761,373; 5,331,107;5,928,937; and 5,378,824; and international publication WO 96133270,which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose.

(C) Glyphosate (resistance imparted by mutant5-enolpyruvl-3-phosphikimate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes,respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate(phosphinothricin acetyl transferase, PAT) and Streptomyceshygroscopicus phosphinothricin-acetyl transferase, bar, genes), andpyridinoxy or phenoxy propionic acids and cycloshexones (ACCaseinhibitor-encoding genes). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,835 toShah et al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a form of EPSPSwhich can confer glyphosate resistance. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,061 toBarry et al. describes genes encoding. EPSPS enzymes. In US 2002/0062503A1 Chen et al. describe a wheat plant tolerant to glyphosate. The DNAconstruct pMON30139 was inserted in wheat via transformation andcontains the EPSPS gene as well as other elements. See also U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,248,876 B1; 5,804,425; 5,633,435; 5,145,783; 4,971,908;5,312,910; 5,188,642; 4,940,835; 5,866,775; 6,225,114 B1; 6,130,366;5,310,667; 4,535,060: 4,769,061: 5,633,448; 5,510,471; Re. 36,449; RE37,287 E; and 5,491,288; and international publications WO 97/04103; WO00/66746; WO 01/66704; and WO 00/66747, which are incorporated herein byreference for this purpose. Glyphosate resistance is also imparted toplants that express a gene that encodes a glyphosate oxido-reductaseenzyme as described more fully in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,760 and5,463,175, which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose.In addition glyphosate resistance can be imparted to plants by the overexpression of genes encoding glyphosate N-acetyltransferase. See, forexample, U.S. Application Ser. Nos. 60/244,385; 60/377,175 and60/377,719.

A DNA molecule encoding a mutant aroA gene can be obtained under ATCCaccession No. 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,061 to Comai. European Patentapplication No. 0 333 033 to Kumada et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374to Goodman et al. disclose nucleotide sequences of glutamine synthetasegenes which confer resistance to herbicides such as L-phosphinothricin.The nucleotide sequence of a phosphinothricin-acetyl-transferase gene isprovided in European application No. 0 242 246 to Leemans et al. DeGreef et al., Bio/Technology 7: 61 (1989), describe the production oftransgenic plants that express chimeric bar genes coding forphosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity. See also, U.S. Pat. Nos.5,969,213; 5,489,520; 5,550,318; 5,874,265; 5,919,675; 5,561,236;5,648,477; 5,646,024; 6,177,616 B1; and 5,879,903, which areincorporated herein by reference for this purpose. Vasil et al.(Bio/Technology 10:667,1992) reported developing wheat plants resistantto glufosinate via particle bombardment and the use of bar genes. Theuse of bar genes has also resulted in the resistance to the herbicidebialaphos. Exemplary of genes conferring resistance to phenoxy propionicacids and cycloshexones, such as sethoxydim and haloxyfop, are theAcc1-S1, Acc1-S2 and Acc1-S3 genes described by Marshall et al., Theor.Appl. Genet. 83: 435 (1992).

(D) A herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbAand gs+ genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). Przibilla et al.,Plant Cell 3: 169 (1991), describe the transformation of Chlamydomonaswith plasmids encoding mutant psbA genes. Nucleotide sequences fornitrilase genes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,648 to Stalker, andDNA molecules containing these genes are available under ATCC AccessionNos. 53435, 67441 and 67442. Cloning and expression of DNA coding for aglutathione S-transferase is described by Hayes et al., Biochem. J.285:173 (1992).

(E) Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox) is necessary for the productionof chlorophyll, which is necessary for all plant survival. The protoxenzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidal compounds. Theseherbicides also inhibit growth of all the different species of plantspresent, causing their total destruction. The development of plantscontaining altered protox activity which are resistant to theseherbicides are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,288,306 B1; 6,282,837 B1;and 5,767,373; and international publication WO 01/12825, which areincorporated herein by reference for this purpose.

3. Genes that Confer or Improve Grain Quality, Such as:

(A) The content of high-molecular-weight gluten subunits (HMW-GS).Genomic clones have been isolated for different HMW subunits (Andersonet al., In Proceedings of the 7^(th) International Wheat GeneticsSymposium, IPR, pp. 699-704, 1988; Shewry et al. In Oxford Surveys ofPlant Molecular and Cell Biology, pp. 163-219, 1989; Shewry et al.Journal of Cereal Sci. 15:105-120, 1992). Blechl et al. (Journal ofPlant Phys. 152 (6): 703-707, 1998) have transformed wheat with genesthat encode a modified HMW-GS. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,650,558;5,914,450; 5,985,352; 6,174,725; and 6,252,134, which are incorporatedherein by reference for this purpose.

(B) Modified fatty acid metabolism, for example, by transforming a plantwith an antisense gene of stearoyl-ACP desaturase to increase stearicacid content of the plant. See Knultzon et al., Proc. Nat!l. Acad. Sci.USA 89: 2624 (1992).

(C) Decreased phytate content for example introduction of aphytase-encoding gene would enhance breakdown of phytate, adding morefree phosphate to the transformed plant. For example, see VanHartingsveldt et al., Gene 127: 87 (1993), for a disclosure of thenucleotide sequence of an Aspergillus niger phytase gene.

(D) Modified carbohydrate composition effected, for example, bytransforming plants with a gene coding for an enzyme that alters thebranching pattern of starch. See Shiroza et al., J. Bacteriol. 170: 810(1988) (nucleotide sequence of Streptococcus mutans fructosyltransferasegene), Steinmetz et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 200: 220 (1985) (nucleotidesequence of Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene), Pen et al.,Bio/Technology 10: 292 (1992) (production of transgenic plants thatexpress Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase), Elliot et al., PlantMolec. Biol.:21: 515 (1993) (nucleotide sequences of tomato invertasegenes), Sogaard et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268: 22480 (1993) (site-directedmutagenesis of barley alpha-amylase gene), and Fisher et al., PlantPhysiol. 102: 1045 (1993) (maize endosperm starch branching enzyme 11).

4. Genes that Control Male-Sterility

(A) Introduction of a deacetylase gene under the control of atapetum-specific promoter and with the application of the chemicalN-Ac-PPT (WO 01/29237).

(B) Introduction of various stamen-specific promoters (WO 92/13956, WO92/13957).

(C) Introduction of the bamase and the barstar gene (Paul et al. PlantMol. Biol. 19:611-622, 1992).

5. Genes that Confer Agronomic Enhancements, Nutritional Enhancements,or Industrial Enhancements. For example, the barley HVA1 gene wastransformed into wheat. Transformed wheat plants showed increasedtolerance to water stress, (Sivamani, E. et al. Plant Science 2000,V.155 p1-9 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,842.)

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical, plant transformation protocols. See, forexample, Miki et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA intoPlants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick,B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, 1993) pages67-88. In addition, expression vectors and in vitro culture methods forplant cell or tissue transformation and regeneration of plants areavailable. See, for example, Guber et al., “Vectors for PlantTransformation” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology,Glick, B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton,1993) pages 89-119.

Further embodiments of the invention are the treatment of 26R58 with amutagen and the plant produced by mutagenesis of 26R58. Informationabout mutagens and mutagenizing seeds or pollen are presented in theIAEA's Manual on Mutation Breeding (IAEA, 1977) other information aboutmutation breeding in wheat can be found in C. F. Konzak, “Mutations andMutation Breeding” chapter 7B, of Wheat and Wheat Improvement, 2^(nd)edition, ed. Heyne,1987.

A further embodiment of the invention is a back cross conversion ofwheat variety 26R58. A back cross conversion occurs when DNA sequencesare introduced through traditional (non-transformation) breedingtechniques, such as backcrossing. DNA sequences, whether naturallyoccurring or transgenes, may be introduced using these traditionalbreeding techniques. Desired traits transferred through this processinclude, but are not limited to nutritional enhancements, industrialenhancements, disease resistance, insect resistance, herbicideresistance, agronomic enhancements, grain quality enhancement, breedingenhancements, seed production enhancements, and male steriltiy.Descriptions of some of the cytoplasmic male sterility genes, nuclearmale sterility genes, chemical hybridizing agents, male fertilityrestoration genes, and methods of using the aforementioned are discussedin “Hybrid Wheat by K. A. Lucken (pp. 444-452 In Wheat and WheatImprovement, ed. Heyne, 1987). Examples of genes for other traitsinclude: Leaf rust resistance genes (Lr series such as Lr1, Lr10, Lr21,Lr22, Lr22a, Lr32, Lr37, Lr41, Lr42, and Lr43), Fusarium headblight-resistance genes (QFhs.ndsu-3B and QFhs.ndsu-2A), Powdery Mildewresistance genes (Pm21), common bunt resistance genes (Bt-10), and wheatstreak mosaic virus resistance gene (Wsm1). Russian wheat aphidresistance genes (Dn series such as Dn1, Dn2, Dn4, Dn5), Black stem rustresistance genes (Sr38), Yellow rust resistance genes (Yr series such asYr1, YrSD, Yrsu, Yr17, Yr15, YrH52), Aluminum tolerance genes (Alt(BH)),dwarf genes (Rht), vernalization genes (Vrn), Hessian fly resistancegenes (H9, H10, H21, H29), grain color genes (R/r), glyphosateresistance genes (EPSPS), and glufosinate genes (bar, pat). The trait ofinterest is transferred from the donor parent to the recurrent parent,in this case, the wheat plant disclosed herein. Single gene traits mayresult from either the transfer of a dominant allele or a recessiveallele. Selection of progeny containing the trait of interest is done bydirect selection for a trait associated with a dominant allele.Selection of progeny for a trait that is transferred via a recessiveallele requires growing and selfing the first backcross to determinewhich plants carry the recessive alleles. Recessive traits may requireadditional progeny testing in successive backcross generations todetermine the presence of the gene of interest.

Another embodiment of the invention is an essentially derived variety of26R58. As determined by the UPOV Convention, essentially derivedvarieties may be obtained for example by the selection of a natural orinduced mutant, or of a somaclonal variant, the selection of a variantindividual from plants of the initial variety, backcrossing, ortransformation by genetic engineering. An essentially derived variety of26R58 is further defined as one whose production requires the repeateduse of variety 26R58 or is predominately derived from variety 26R58.International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants,as amended on Mar. 19, 1991, Chapter V, Article 14, Section 5(c).

This invention also is directed to methods for using wheat variety 26R58in plant breeding.

One such embodiment is the method of crossing wheat variety 26R58 withanother variety of wheat to form a first generation population of F1plants. The population of first generation F1 plants produced by thismethod is also an embodiment of the invention. This first generationpopulaton of F1 plants will comprise an essentially complete set of thealleles of wheat variety 26R58. One of ordinary skill in the art canutilize either breeder books or molecular methods to identify aparticular F1 plant produced using wheat variety 26R58, and any suchindividual plant is also encompassed by this invention. Theseembodiments also cover use of these methods with transgenic or backcrossconversions of wheat variety 26R58.

Another embodiment of this invention is a method of developing abackcross conversion 26R58 wheat plant that involves the repeatedbackcrossing to wheat variety 26R58 any number of times. Usingbackcrossing methods, or the transgenic methods described above, orother breeding methods known to one of ordinary skill in the art, onecan develop individual plants and populations of plants that retain atleast 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 79%, 80%,81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%,95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% of the genetic profile of wheat variety26R58. The percentage of the genetics retained in the progeny may bemeasured by either pedigree analysis or through the use of genetictechniques such as molecular markers or electrophoresis. In pedigreeanalysis, on average 50% of the starting germplasm would be passed tothe progeny line after one cross to another line, 25% after anothercross to a different line, and so on. Molecular markers could also beused to confirm and/or determine the pedigree of the progeny line.

A method of developing a 26R58-progeny wheat plant comprising crossing.26R58 with a second wheat plant and performing a breeding method is alsoan embodiment of the invention. A specific method for producing a linederived from wheat variety 26R58 is as follows. One of ordinary skill inthe art would cross wheat variety 26R58 with another variety of wheat,such as an elite variety. The F1 seed derived from this cross would begrown to form a homogeneous population. The F1 seed would contain oneset of the alleles from variety 26R58 and one set of the alleles fromthe other wheat variety. The F1 genome would be made-up of 50% variety26R58 and 50% of the other elite variety. The F1 seed would be grown andallowed to self, thereby forming F2 seed. On average the F2 seed wouldhave derived 50% of its alleles from variety 26R58 and 50% from theother wheat variety, but various individual plants from the populationwould have a much greater percentage of their alleles derived from 26R58(Wang J. and R. Bemardo, 2000, Crop Sci. 40:659-665 and Bernardo, R. andA. L. Kahler, 2001, Theor. Appl. Genet 102:986-992). The F2 seed wouldbe grown and selection of plants would be made based on visualobservation and/or measurement of traits. The 26R58-derived progeny thatexhibit one or more of the desired 26R58-derived traits would beselected and each plant would be harvested separately. This F3 seed fromeach plant would be grown in individual rows and allowed to self. Thenselected rows or plants from the rows would be harvested and threshedindividually. The selections would again be based on visual observationand/or measurements for desirable traits of the plants, such as one ormore of the desirable 26R58-derived traits. The process of growing andselection would be repeated any number of times until a homozygous26R58-derived wheat plant is obtained. The homozygous 26R58-derivedwheat plant would contain desirable traits derived from wheat variety26R58, some of which may not have been expressed by the other originalwheat variety to which wheat variety 26R58 was crossed and some of whichmay have been expressed by both wheat varieties but now would be at alevel equal to or greater than the level expressed in wheat variety26R58. The homozygous 26R58-derived wheat plants would have, on average,50% of their genes derived from wheat variety 26R58, but variousindividual plants from the population would have a much greaterpercentage of their alleles derived from 26R58. The breeding process, ofcrossing, selfing, and selection may be repeated to produce anotherpopulation of 26R58-derived wheat plants with, on average, 25% of theirgenes derived from wheat variety 26R58, but various individual plantsfrom the population would have a much greater percentage of theiralleles; derived from 26R58. Another embodiment of the invention is ahomozygous 26R58-derived wheat plant that has received 26R58-derivedtraits.

The previous example can be modified in numerous ways, for instanceselection may or may not occur at every selfing generation, selectionmay occur before or after the actual self-pollination process occurs, orindividual selections may be made by harvesting individual spikes,plants, rows or plots at any point during the breeding processdescribed. In addition, double haploid breeding methods may be used atany step in the process. The population of plants produced at each andany generation of selfing is also an embodiment of the invention, andeach such population would consist of plants containing approximately50% of its genes from wheat variety 26R58, 25% of its genes from wheatvariety 26R58 in the second cycle of crossing, selfing, and selection,12.5% of its genes from wheat variety 26R58 in the third cycle ofcrossing, selfing, and selection, and so on.

Another embodiment of this invention is the method of obtaining ahomozygous 26R58-derived wheat plant by crossing wheat variety 26R58with another variety of wheat and applying double haploid methods to theF1 seed or F1 plant or to any generation of 26R58-derived wheat obtainedby the selfing of this cross.

Still further, this invention also is directed to methods for producing26R58-derived wheat plants by crossing wheat variety 26R58 with a wheatplant and growing the progeny seed, and repeating the crossing orselfing along with the growing steps with the 26R58-derived wheat plantfrom 1 to 2 times, 1 to 3 times, 1 to 4 times, or 1 to 5 times. Thus,any and all methods using wheat variety 26R58 in breeding are part ofthis invention, including selfing, pedigree breeding, backcrosses,hybrid production and crosses to populations. All plants and populationsof plants produced using wheat variety 26R58 as a parent are within thescope of this invention. Unique starch profiles, molecular markerprofiles and/or breeding records can be used by those of ordinary skillin the art to identify the progeny lines or populations of progenyderived from wheat variety 26R58.

All plants produced using wheat variety 26R58 as a parent are within thescope of this invention, including those developed from varietiesderived from wheat variety 26R58

Performance Examples of 26R58

In the examples that follow, the traits and characteristics of wheatvariety 26R58 are given in paired comparisons with another varietyduring the same growing conditions and the same year. The data collectedon each wheat variety is presented for key characteristics and traits.

The results in Table 2 compare variety 26R58 to varieties 25R23, 2540,and 25R57 for various agronomic traits. The results show that variety26R58 grew to a significantly shorter plant height than the comparisonvarieties. Variety 26R58 headed significantly earlier than variety 25R23and 25R40. 26R58 had significantly higher grain yield than 2540 and25R57. The results also show that 26R58 demonstrated significantlybetter resistance to leaf rust than 2540 and 25R57.

The results in Table 3 compare the grain yield of wheat variety 26R58 towheat variety 25R57 in five test areas and overall. Variety 26R58 hadsignificantly higher grain yield in 2 out of the 5 areas and when all 5areas were combined.

The results in Table 4 show values for the grain quality of variety26R58 and comparison varieties 25R23, 2540, and 25R57.

TABLE 2 Paired Comparisons of 26R58 during the period 1997-2001 GrainTest Plant Heading Leaf Leaf Powdery Yield Weight Height Date Scab RustBlight Mildew SSMV* SBMV** Variety Bu/ac lb/bu cm Jan 1 @ @ @ @ @ @26R58 101.3 57.9 93.5 132.0 4.7 7.8 4.7 6.7 8.0 6.5 25R23 100.7 58.697.8 134.9 4.8 7.2 7.5 5.7 8.3 7.0 Years 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 2 Reps 135133 34 46 12 11 6 3 10 4 Prob 0.595 0.004 0.002 0.000 0.880 0.284 0.0600.374 0.500 26R58 97.4 57.1 95.8 134.1 4.8 7.5 4.5 7.6 7.9 6.5 2540 92.957.3 99.3 136.5 4.2 4.6 4.3 4.6 7.7 6.5 Years 5 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 3 2 Reps138 133 28 40 13 12 8 7 14 4 Prob 0.000 0.334 0.016 0.000 0.369 0.0000.495 0.208 0.486 1.000 26R58 98.3 57.2 94.0 125.3 5.5 7.6 4.5 8.0 7.96.5 25R57 92.5 57.0 97.5 125.0 5.0 6.1 4.5 8.3 5.1 3.0 Years 5 5 5 4 3 32 1 3 2 Reps 121 115 26 30 7 8 8 4 16 4 Prob 0.000 0.197 0.016 0.1460.353 0.052 1.000 0.500 0.000 0.000 *SSMV = Spindle Streak Mosiac Virus**SBMV = Soil-bourne Mosiac Virus @Scale of 1-9 where 9 = excellent orresistant, 1 = poor or susceptible. Data in above table collected atlocations in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,Michigan, Maryland and Ontario, Canada.

TABLE 3 Grain yield (Bu/ac) comparison of 26R58 to 25R57 divided by testarea during the period 1997-2001 Test Test Test Test Test VARIETY Area 1Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 TOTAL 26R58 87.2 94.5 104.0 95.2 113.8 98.325R57 85.6 93.9 98.0 87.6 100.6 92.5 REPS 6 24 34 49 8 121 PROB 0.7980.797 0.012 0.000 0.105 0.000 Test Area 1 = Maryland; Test Area 2 =Michigan, northern Ohio and northern Indiana; Test Area 3 = centralIndiana and central Ohio; Test Area 4 = southern Indiana, southernIllinois, and Missouri; Test Area 5 = bootheel of Missouri, Kentucky andArkansas.

TABLE 4 Average soft wheat quality data from the Pioneer Quality Lab inJohnston, IA, 1997-2000 Break Flour Flour Flour Cookie Milling BakeYield Yield Protein AWRC Diameter Score Score Variety % % % % Cm 1-9 1-926R58 71.0 38.7 8.7 55.6 18.9 6 6 25R23 72.9 40.1 8.0 58.2 18.4 8 3 254069.9 38.6 9.0 56.0 19.0 5 6 25R57 70.5 39.0 8.7 54.0 19.1 6 7 AWRC =Alkaline Water Retention Capacity Milling Score = a 1-9 rating whichweights 60% flour yield and 40% break flour yield (9 = excellent, 1 =poor). Baking Score = a 1-9 rating which weights 60% cookie diameter and40% AWRC (9 = excellent, 1 = poor).

Deposit

Applicant(s) have made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of Wheat Variety26R58 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 UniversityBoulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209 USA, ATCC Deposit No. PTA-5621. Theseeds deposited with the ATCC on Oct. 24, 2003 were taken from thedeposit maintained by Pioneer Hi-Bred International. Inc., 800 CapitalSquare, 400 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2340, since prior tothe filing date of this application. Access to this deposit will beavailable during the pendency of the application to the Commissioner ofPatents and Trademarks and persons determined by the Commissioner to beentitled thereto upon request. Upon allowance of any claims in theapplication, the Applicant(s) will make available to the public,pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 808, a sample(s) of the deposit of at least 2500seeds of variety 26R58 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. This deposit ofseed of Wheat Variety 26R58 will be maintained in the ATCC Depository,which is a public depository, for a period of 30 years, or 5 years afterthe most recent request, or for the enforceable life of the patent,whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable duringthat period. Additionally, Applicants have satisfied all therequirements of 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.801-1.809, including providing anindication of the viability of the sample upon deposit. Applicant(s)have no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on thetransfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce.Applicant(s) do not waive any infringement of their rights grated underthis patent or under the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 USC 2321 etseq.).

The foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding.However, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications suchas single gene modifications and mutations, somoclonal variants, variantindividuals selected from large populations of the plants of the instantvariety and the like may be practiced within the scope of the invention,as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in thespecification are indicative of the level of those skilled in the art towhich this invention pertains. All such publications, patents and patentapplications are incorporated by reference herein for the purpose citedto the same extent as if each was specifically and individuallyindicated to be incorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. Seed of wheat variety 26R58, representative seed of said variety having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-5621.
 2. A wheat plant, or part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 1. 3. A tissue culture of regenerable cells produced from the plant of claim
 2. 4. Protoplasts produced from the tissue culture of claim
 3. 5. The tissue culture of claim 2, wherein cells of the tissue culture are from a tissue selected from the group consisting of kernel, head, stem, leaves, root, root tip, pollen, ovule, embryo and flower.
 6. A wheat plant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim 3, said plant having all the morphological and physiological characteristics of wheat variety 2SR58, representative seed of said wheat variety deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-5621.
 7. A method for producing an F1 wheat seed, comprising crossing the plant of claim 2 with a different wheat plant and harvesting the resulting F1 wheat seed.
 8. A method of producing a male sterile wheat plant comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a nucleic acid molecule that confers male sterility.
 9. A male sterile wheat plant produced by the method of claim
 8. 10. A method of producing an herbicide resistant wheat plant comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a transgene that confers herbicide resistance.
 11. An herbicide resistant wheat plant produced by the method of claim
 10. 12. The wheat plant of claim 11, wherein the transgene confers resistance to an herbicide selected from the group consisting of: imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, glyphosate, glufosinate, L-phosphinothricin, triazine and benzonitrile.
 13. A method of producing an insect resistant wheat plant comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a transgene that confers insect resistance.
 14. An insect resistant wheat plant produced by the method of claim
 13. 15. The wheat plant of claim 14, wherein the transgene encodes a Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin.
 16. A method of producing a disease resistant wheat plant comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a transgene that confers disease resistance.
 17. A disease resistant wheat plant produced by the method of claim
 16. 18. The wheat plant of claim 17, wherein the transgene confers resistance to Fusarium head blight or detoxification of deoxynivalenol.
 19. A method of producing a wheat plant with decreased phytate content comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a transgene encoding phytase.
 20. A wheat plant with decreased phytate content produced by the method of claim
 19. 21. A method of producing a wheat plant with modified fatty acid metabolism, protein metabolism or carbohydrate metabolism comprising transforming the wheat plant of claim 2 with a transgene encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of glutenins, gliadins, stearyl-ACP-desaturase, fructosyltransferase, levasucrase, alpha-amylase, invertase and starch branching enzyme.
 22. A wheat plant produced by the method of claim
 21. 23. The wheat plant of claim 22 wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the group consisting of waxy starch and increased amylose starch.
 24. A wheat plant, or part thereof, having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of the variety 26R58, representative seed of such line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-5621.
 25. A method of introducing a desired trait into wheat variety 26R58 comprising: (a) crossing 26R58 plants grown from 26R58 seed, representative seed of which has been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA5621, with plants of another wheat line that comprise a desired trait to produce F1 progeny plants, wherein the desired trait is selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance and disease resistance; (b) selecting F1 progeny plants that have the desired trait to produce selected F1 progeny plants; (c) crossing the selected progeny plants with the 26R58 plants to produce backcross progeny plants; (d) selecting for backoross progeny plants that have the desired trait and physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 to produce selected backcross progeny plants; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times in succession to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny plants that comprise the desired trait and all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.
 26. A plant produced by the method of claim 25, wherein the plant has the desired trait and all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed In Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.
 27. The plant of claim 26 wherein the desired trait is herbicide resistance and the resistance is conferred to a herbicide selected from the group consisting of: imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, glyphosate, glufosinate, L-phosphinothricin, triazine and benzonitrile.
 28. The plant of claim 26 wherein the desired trait is insect resistance and the insect resistance is conferred by a transgene encoding a Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin.
 29. The plant of claim 26 wherein the desired trait is male sterility and the trait is conferred by a cytoplasmic nucleic acid molecule that confers male sterility.
 30. A method of modifying Fusarium head blight resistance or detoxification of deoxynivelenol in wheat variety 26R58 comprising: (a) crossing 26R58 plants grown from 26R58 seed, representative seed of which has been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-5621, with plants of another wheat variety that comprises a nucleic acid molecule encoding a resistance to Fusarium head blight or detoxification of deoxynivalenol; (b) selecting F1 progeny plants that have said nucleic acid molecule to produce selected F1 progeny plants; (c) crossing the selected progeny plants with the 26R58 plants to produce backcross progeny plants; (d) selecting for backcross progeny plants that have said nucleic acid molecule and physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed In Table 1 to produce selected backcross progeny plants; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times in succession to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny plants that comprise said nucleic acid molecule and have all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.
 31. A plant produced by the method of claim 30, wherein the plant comprises the nucleic acid molecule and has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.
 32. A method of modifying fatty acid, phytic acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, waxy starch or gluten in wheat variety 20R58 comprising: (a) crossing 26R58 plants grown from 26R58 seed, representative seed of which has been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-5621, with plants of another wheat variety that comprises a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of phytase, stearyl-ACP desaturase, fructosyltransferase, levansucrase, alpha-amylase, invertase, starch branching enzyme, glutenin, and gliadin; (b) selecting F1 progeny plants that have said nucleic acid molecule to produce selected F1 progeny plants; (c) crossing the selected progeny plants with the 26R58 plants to produce backcross progeny plants; (d) selecting for backcross progeny plants that have said nucleic acid molecule and physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 to produce selected backcross progeny plants; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times in succession to produce selected fourth or higher backoross progeny plants that comprse said nucleic acid molecule and have all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 26R58 listed in Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions.
 33. A plant produced by the method of claim 32, wherein the plant comprises the nucleic acid molecule and has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of wheat variety 2SR58 listed in Table 1 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmental conditions. 